Bioterrorism

Bioterrorism is the use of biological agents as weapons of terror in order to cause fear among the general public, and this form of terrorism can have some short term and long term effects as it has the capability of being quite destructive. As a result of bioterrorist attacks, people can die, economies can be severely damaged, and the environment can be ruined. In addition, bioterrorist attacks have happened before within the United States of America, and one of the best examples is the anthrax attack of 2001. There is also the issue of how unlikely a bioterrorist attack is due to varying factors that generally have to do with the terrorist himself. In any case, if a bioterrorist attack were to occur in the United States, the environmental…

Anthrax, smallpox and plague potential bioterrorism agents and are caused by microbial pathogens. Bioterrorism is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. These…

The cutaneous form accounts for at least 90-95% of natural anthrax infections and while the gastrointestinal form is uncommon, it can occur in outbreaks associated with contaminated meat (Iowa State University, 2007). Natural cases of inhalation anthrax are rare; rather they are typically associated with acts of bioterrorism. (Iowa State University, 2007). The mortality rate varies with the form of anthrax. According to the center for Food Security and Public Health, “cutaneous anthrax is…

Anthrax Outbreak Out of all of the diseases, anthrax seems to have the most potential for a massive outbreak. In its respiratory form, anthrax could easily be spread globally. It’s high mortality rate and typically short incubation period would allow casualties to increase quickly. The most effective way to create an outbreak of anthrax would be through direct acts of bioterrorism. As anthrax is not communicated person-to-person the spores would have to be continually introduced into the…

As mentioned, bioterrorism agents can be modified and engineered to kill people slowly and effectively. Mass producing these bio threats by foreign and local terrorist, is inexpensive and easy transport undetected across the borders into the United States, due to the fact that it would take days or months before the first person would become ill. Some agents can be spread without any contact from another human or animal. For instance through weaponing of a bio agent, which is the process of…

Fears about the possible use of biological weapons against US civilians had been largely hypothetical but were confirmed by the combination of 9/11 terrorist attacks and especially, the anthrax letters of September 2001. The perception about bioterrorism drastically changed, resulting in new legislation and public health measures being put in place to prevent any future mishaps from occurring. One example is the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act which granted public health officials…

On the 17th of September in 1984, the small town of Dalles, Oregon, a community of loving and caring people would forever go down in history as being part of the first and single largest bioterrorist attack that has taken place in United States history (Sambyal, Sharma, & Singh, 4, A). A total of 751 people were subjected to a bioterror attack from a religious group known as the Rajneesee, a group of individuals that were devoted to love, and beauty influenced by the unconventional and immoral…

Bioterrorism is the release of toxic biological agents with the intent of harming others. Due to scientific advancements over the years, the threat of bioterrorism has tremendously grown. Scientific advancements have made it easier to manipulate agents to withstand harsh environments and to manipulate various agents into different physical forms. An attack of this kind can not only harm humans, but it can also have a negative impact on agriculture and livestock. Without these vital food sources,…

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works all around the United States as an agency that promotes public health. Through this agency, we have a bioterrorism website that focuses on biological agents like bacteria, viruses, and toxins that are deliberate released making it a form of terrorism. These biological agents can be spread in three ways air, water, and food. The main disease resulting from bioterrorism is death ranging from humans, animals, and plants. The CDC Bioterrorism website…

Friday the 13th is associated with bad luck, and now it will forever be attached to ISIS’ violent attack on Paris, France. This is not ISIS’ only violent attack which leads to the question, to what extreme is ISIS willing to go to reach their goals? ISIS is known to use tactics such as violence such as beheading or seizing control of towns which creates a shock value to assure to reach their goals. Most people do not understand ISIS’ meaning. ISIS is an abbreviation for "Islamic State of Iraq…